Trying to focus with ADHD

Telling a child with ADHD to focus more or pay better attention is sort of like telling someone who's near-sighted to squint harder. It misses the underlying biological problem. The point is not that these kids are not trying hard enough to focus, they're trying as hard as they can. It's that their brain is wired so that focusing is far more difficult for them than it is for other children, or for adults for that matter. And this is why getting a diagnosis and treatment is so important, just as it is for near-sightedness. It is not a matter of more effort; it's a matter of proper diagnosis and treatment that will help the child excel.

Edward Hallowell, MD, EdD

Psychiatrist, ADHD Specialist, & Author

Edward (Ned) Hallowell, MD, EdD is a Harvard-trained Child and Adult Psychiatrist in practice in Sudbury, MA (outside Boston) and New York City. The author of 18 books, Dr. Hallowell specializes in learning differences such as ADHD and dyslexia, both of which he has himself. He has also written extensively on general issues of parenting and living in our modern age. He lives in the Boston area with his wife of 23 years, Sue, and their three children, Lucy, Jack, and Tucker.

Telling a child with ADHD to focus more or pay better attention is sort of like telling someone who's near-sighted to squint harder. It misses the underlying biological problem. The point is not that these kids are not trying hard enough to focus, they're trying as hard as they can. It's that their brain is wired so that focusing is far more difficult for them than it is for other children, or for adults for that matter. And this is why getting a diagnosis and treatment is so important, just as it is for near-sightedness. It is not a matter of more effort; it's a matter of proper diagnosis and treatment that will help the child excel.